Putin Highlights Iran’s Role in Resolving Regional Conflicts

Russian President Vladimir Putin underlined Iran’s role in resolving conflicts in the region and expressed willingness to cooperate with Tehran to help end the recent clash between neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia through dialogue. 
"Iran's standpoint on regional issues, including the Karabakh crisis, is of high importance to us and we welcome continued consultations [with Tehran] to address this problem," he said in a phone conversation with President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday, President.ir reported. 
Fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over a mountainous enclave erupted on Sept. 27, killing hundreds of people.
The disputed Nagorno-Karabakh area is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is populated and governed by ethnic Armenians.
The two agreed on a ceasefire to be enforced on Saturday after marathon talks in Moscow advocated by Putin.
"We hope the ceasefire would prepare the ground for negotiations and [peace] talks," Putin said. 
Rouhani hailed Russia’s efforts to restore peace and expressed Iran's readiness to offer any help in this regard. 
"The continuation of conflicts will further complicate the situation in the region and cause more casualties and financial damage," he said, calling for joint efforts to secure a ceasefire and initiate dialogue for peace.